Orion Colony Complete Series Boxed Set J.N. Chaney (books for new readers .txt) 📖

inertial dampeners in propelling us through space while standing still made the feeling of the speeding elevator feel, well, like not moving at all.

“I’m going to guess the chances of me getting one of those cards is…” I allowed my voice to trail off.

“Maybe if you joined the Civil Authority Force on Kronos Five, I could see about getting you a blaster and a holo card,” Stacy said, eyeing me as if she was expecting my answer.

“Me? A suit?” I said, shaking my head. I ran a hand through my hair. “No way. I mean, I appreciate all you do, but trying to police a new colony on an alien planet is not my idea of a fun job.”

“Shame, you’d look nice in a suit.” Stacy shrugged as the elevator doors opened in front of us. “Listen, let me do the talking. I don’t want you to spook the head technician. He’s sort of an oddball.”

The way Stacy said “oddball” told me all I needed to know. Whoever we were about to see was a straight-up loony. That was fine. I had a running theory that we were all a bit broken and crazy in our own ways. Anyone who denied that was just lying to themselves or trying to hide who they truly were.

The elevator dropped us off in a hall alongside the doors of another dozen elevators. I followed Stacy to the left, where the level opened into a large waiting room area. There was soft carpet underfoot with chairs and even a fresh assortment of flowers on the table next to a pile of reading material.

Stacy made her way to a desk with a holo-screen. There was no one present, receptionist or otherwise. Stacy opened the display, scrolling down the names of technicians and workers until she stopped on a Doctor James Wong. She tapped the name, opening a line of communication.

“Doctor James Wong’s office. How can I help you?” a cheery female voice asked over the line.

“Hello,” Stacy began in a rather cheery voice of her own. “My name is Stacy Wilson. I need to speak with the doctor. It’s an important matter straight from the Eternals.”

There was a pause on the other line.

“Are you still there?” Stacy asked.

“Yes—yes, I’m sorry,” the woman recovered. “Doctor Wong is in the middle of his designated resting period. He doesn’t like to be disturbed, but if it’s a matter from the Eternals—may I confirm the request?”

Stacy reached for her holo card again, tapping it a few times before swiping it across the open channel on the larger holo on the desk.

“I see,” the woman on the other end said. “Please, just give me a moment to wake him. You may proceed all the way down the hall and make a right when it dead ends. His office will be on your left.”

The line closed. A quick second later, there was a click at the door, leading deeper inside. I followed Stacy as we strode toward what I hoped would be answers.

The technician floor was nothing like I’d imagined. No cubicles or closed doors, and no privacy at all. As far as I could see in every direction, there were teams of technicians in white lab coats and white aprons hard at work in glass rooms divided by narrow walkways.

It was hard to say what they were working on, as different teams in different rooms seemed to be handling a variety of projects at once. Behind goggles and gloves, they worked on advancements I had no doubt we would need once we reached Kronos Five.

I saw one group on my left, working on something that looked like a high-tech lawn mower, while another team of two struggled on my right with a sort of black goopy substance.

“Makes you wonder what they didn’t have time to complete since the launch date was moved up,” Stacy said as we strode forward. “I mean, unless they had everything ready to go in advance, it’s likely they launched without even being ready.”

“Nice thoughts to keep me company at night,” I growled. “The real you is just a ray of sunshine.”

“Ah, you’re sweet.” Stacy beamed, looking back and batting her eyes before continuing forward.

We made it down the first hall and turned to the right. Obeying the instructions we had been given a moment before, we looked to our left, where a glass room opened. There was a perky receptionist that looked a bit nervous in a smaller outer chamber.

Another glass wall showed the view of an older man with his feet propped on his desk and some kind of mask over his face.

“I told him you were coming with business straight from the Eternals,” the receptionist said. She stood from her desk, wringing her hands. She was nervous and not good at hiding it. “He’s awake, even if he looks like he’s not. He’s just pretending to be asleep to see if you will leave him alone.”

“How annoyingly delightful,” Stacy said.

The woman tried a nervous laugh then stopped halfway through. She looked over at me with that same strange smile. There was something in her eyes I couldn’t quite place.

Stacy didn’t waste any more time. She crossed the room and let herself into the glass office. The place was a pigsty. There were food wrappers and containers littered all over the ground, with a few used shirts and data cards. It looked like the nerdiest man alive had gone on an education bender in the two days we’d been in space.

“Doctor Wong?” Stacy asked.

The balding man behind the desk didn’t move.  A black night mask covering his eyes hid any indication whether he had seen us or not.

“Excuse me, Doctor Wong?” Stacy said a bit louder. She took a step closer. “We’re here on order of the Eternals to ask you a few questions.”

He didn’t move, but a steady snoring came from his thin lips. Not like real snoring, but the kind of noises you make when you want someone to think you’re sleeping.

“Okay,